Dr Patrick McGovern STC.S110

This course is available on the BSc in Language, Culture and Society, BSc in Social Policy and Sociology and BSc in Sociology. This course is not available as an outside option. This course is available with permission to General Course students.

No specific pre-requisites, but this course is only open to 2nd and 3rd year students in Sociology and on the programmes specified. It is not available as a 1st year option.

Sociological perspectives on cross-national differences in employment and social inequality.

Theoretical perspectives on inequality;  gender in the labour market; occupational segregation;  the ‘glass ceiling’; immigrant employment; race, ethnicity and discrimination; social class at work; class reproduction in elite firms; the rise of wage inequality; and income inequality in the mass media.

This course is delivered through a combination of lectures/seminars, online materials and classes totalling a minimum of 20 hours in LT.

Reading Weeks: Students on this course will have a reading week in LT Week 6, in line with departmental policy.

1,500 word essay due in Week 8 of LT.

W. Bottero , W. (2018) A Sense of Inequality;

Friedman, S. and Laurison, D. (2020) The Class Ceiling;

Tilly, C. & C. Tilly (1998) Work Under Capitalism;  

Grusky, D. (2014) (4th ed) Social Stratification;

McGovern, P. et al. (2007) Market, Class, and Employment;

Padavic, I. & Reskin, B. (2002) Women and Men at Work;

Payne, G. (ed.) (2013) Social Divisions; 

L. Platt, L.  (2011) Understanding Inequalities;

D. Tomaskovic-Devy, D. and D. Avent-Holt (2018) Relational Inequalities.

Further reading will be detailed in the course syllabus.

Essay (90%, 3000 words) in the ST.
Class participation (10%) in the LT.

An electronic copy of the assessed essay, to be uploaded to Moodle, no later than 4.00pm on the submission day. Assessed essay due Tuesday of Week 1 in ST. 

Attendance at all classes and submission of all set coursework is required.